Sadie Dahlin, 9, smiles as she looks at one of her favorite stuffed animals as her brother, Nate, 7, looks on after donating nearly 20 stuffed animals to the Providence Centralia Hospital's teddy bear program on Friday afternoon in Centralia. The siblings used a lemonade stand to raise the $142 to purchase the toy animals.
Nate Dahlin, 7, and his sister, Sadie, 9, load up a bag of stuffed animals they donated to Providence Centralia Hospital's teddy bear program on Friday afternoon in Centralia. The program gives out the teddy bears to children who are under duress while at the hospital in order to calm their fears or anxieties.
Sadie Dahlin, 9, holds up a stuffed horse, as she and her brother, Nate, 7, load a bag of stuffed animals they were donating to Providence Centralia Hospital on Friday afternoon in Centralia.
Nate Dahlin, 7, buries his head in a bag of stuffed animals as his sister, Sadie, 9, continues to load the bag up as the pair donate the animals to Providence Centralia Hospital's teddy bear program on Friday afternoon in Centralia. The siblings used money they made from a lemonade to purchase the toy animals.
Sadie Dahlin, 9, and her brother, Nate, 7, fill up a bag with stuffed animals they bought by raising money with a lemonade stand in order to donate the animals to Providence Centralia Hospital's teddy bear program on Friday afternoon in Centralia.
Nine-year-old Sadie Dahlin and her 7-year-old brother Nate decided last month to start a lemonade stand at their house by the Lewis County Sports Complex during a baseball tournament.
The siblings earned $142 in one weekend and decided to donate the money by purchasing teddy bears for patients and visitors at Providence Centralia Hospital.
Their mother, Maria Dahlin, said she was surprised by her children’s initiative, but was completely supportive of the idea.
“We live near the new baseball fields and Sadie said she wanted to do a lemonade stand,” Maria said. “At first I was overwhelmed by the thought of a lemonade stand. (My husband and I) were making pitchers of lemonade as fast as we can and brought it out to them.”
Sadie and Nate brought in about 20 stuffed animals into the hospital on Friday afternoon.
Julia Van Paepeghem, a volunteer coordinator at Providence Centralia Hospital, said the hospital operates a teddy bear program to have stuffed animals available for patients in the emergency room, the pediatric clinic or in outpatient surgery.
The stuffed animals are also comforting to visitors, Van Paepeghem said.
“Sometimes, adults like something to hold onto,” Van Paepeghem said. “It’s another way to help comfort.”
Sadie and Nate’s donation was especially welcome on Friday, since Van Paepeghem said the hospital is running low on teddy bears. Van Paepeghem said she welcomes anyone in the community to donate new teddy bears to the hospital.
Carol Rickard, a chaplain in the Spiritual Care Department at the hospital, said she often sees firsthand how the teddy bears positively impact patients that come in hurt or sick and also how they comfort upset visitors.
“It’s amazing how much it helps,” Rickard said.
